Sailing, Burling and Tita's Luna Rossa wins preliminary races in Cagliari

This morning at Luna Rossa's base, the tables were set with the usual red and white checked tablecloths, those simple trattoria tables that Patrizio Bertelli likes. And they were set, at least for us, to celebrate another achievement. Yes, because a little bit we all actually expected, and perhaps deep down wanted, the victory of the Luna Rossa junior crew with Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro with their trimmers Maria Giubilei and Giovanni Santi. For the history and legend of the American Cup it was the perfect result: two girls, two boys all young beating the seniors, the millennials. It showed the power of youth, it proved that girls can in sailing fight on equal terms with boys. Perhaps the only sport where the difference in physical power can be forgotten. But no.... The youngsters made a bad mistake, risking two starts on the limit when all they had to do was to administer the abundant advantage they had over everyone. An early start in the first of the two fleet races, then disqualification for not executing the penalty. There was no need to take risks at the start, with that lead you just administer it.

Same scene in the last race. Luna Rossa's juniors finished outside while the seniors gave lessons. Result? The final match race of the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta in Cagliari was between Luna Rossa senior with Peter Burling, Ruggero Tita, Umberto Molineris and Vittorio Bissaro and Emirates Team New Zealand with Nathan Outtridge and Seb Menzies, Iain Jensen and Andy Malonely. All in all, it was an easy race for the Italians who topped the Kiwis at the start and always remained in the lead. Triumph and sirens blaring for Luna Rossa who won at home. Course factor certainly. But also skill. So victory went to the millennials, another story to tell. Another legend. Other experience. Other coolness. Also the law of the strongest, because the winner is the strongest and we were forgetting that. In the meantime, Peter Burling beat his ghost, his shadow still sitting on Emirates Team New Zealand, which had been his helm for three editions.

For the first time, the Kiwis are coming to terms with the 'loss' of an engineer helmsman who had asked for some extra money and to be able to manage his life between the Olympics, where he won three medals with the 49er, and other events. Then Ruggero 'Ruggi' Tita with his two Olympic gold medals. Aboard this senior Luna Rossa then there are five five-ring medals, three America's Cup victories, seven Luna Rossa challenges. Could it have gone differently? Well, maybe not, experience still counts in this Cup that wants to be different and young, social. But which in the end still needs the old grammars. The others? Back all only interesting at times. As always, the solid crews are the New Zealanders and the Italians. Peter and Ruggi speak the same language, simple: 'It was important to win and we did it'.

Says Luna Rossa's CEO Max Sirena: "These regattas have been an important test to see if the work we are doing is the right one, because it's the only opportunity we have to compete against the others, to see the sailors under pressure and to put our opponents under pressure. They are also important from an image point of view, because we are obviously playing at home".

Now the future is Naples, September in Nisida with the AC40 and then May with the AC75. The Cup, which was already populated by young influencers, clients of the sponsors, in Cagliari, is looking for its new future. Sirena warns: 'If the partnership and this new way of administering the event does not take away the heritage, the historicity of the Cup, then it will work. Because this competition has a unique potential: there is nothing today on a global, world level that has the potential of the America's Cup in terms of future development. We will all have to be good and build it together."